Sladen's Barbet
Gymnobucco sladeni
Dark, chunky barbet with an odd tuft of buff feathers on its forehead. Usually found in small groups on and around dead trees in lowland rainforest, gallery forest, and secondary growth. Sometimes occurs alongside Gray-throated Barbet. The vocalizations include nasal “squeaky toy” calls and agitated dry rattles. Gray-throated Barbet also has a dark bill, but Sladen’s Barbet is separated from that species by its largely unfeathered head.
Identification
Sladen's barbet (Gymnobucco sladeni) is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family (African barbets). It is found in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British collector Major A. G. Sladen. The Sladen's Barbet is a dark, stocky bird characterized by a distinctive tuft of buff-colored feathers on its forehead. It is typically observed in small groups, frequenting dead trees in lowland rainforests, gallery forests, and secondary growth areas. This species occasionally coexists with the Grey-throated Barbet, and while both species possess dark bills, the unfeathered head of Sladen's Barbet serves as a key identifying feature. Its vocal repertoire includes nasal, "squeaky toy"-like calls and dry, agitated rattles.
Taxonomy
Genus: Gymnobucco; Family: Lybiidae; Order: Piciformes.
- Scientific name
- Gymnobucco sladeni
- Authority
- Ogilvie-Grant, 1907
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Lybiidae
- Genus
- Gymnobucco
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Gray Crowned-Crane
Balearica regulorum
A spectacular, mostly blue-gray crane with a black-and-white face and a crown of golden-yellow plumes. Immatures are rustier than adults. Singles, pairs, and flocks prefer wetlands, flooded grasslands, and man-made water bodies, but they can range widely through other open habitats when foraging. Resident but may be locally nomadic in response to rain. Groups can often be detected by their low plaintive bugling “maaah-hem” call. The similar Black Crowned-Crane differs in having slaty-gray coloration, smaller red facial wattles, and red-and-white (rather than white) cheek patches.
White-winged Becard
Pachyramphus polychopterus
Becards are reminiscent of flycatchers; they are medium-sized and have a rather flat head. Geographically variable: males in the north and west are gray with a black cap and back; in the Amazon primarily black overall, and both forms have bold black-and-white markings on wings. Female is nondescript with a rather plain face and pale yellowish underparts. Look for her buffy wingbars and buffy tips on the tail. Both sexes are similar to Black-and-white Becard; look for male’s black back and female's plain head (lacking rufous cap and black eyeline). Singles or pairs are found in wooded areas but not usually inside mature forest; they prefer edges and second growth. Usually found at middle levels in trees.
White-throated Fantail
Rhipidura albicollis
A distinctive fantail, all dark except for a white throat and a short white eyebrow. The tail, often fanned, is a shade darker with white tips to all tail feathers except the central pair. Juvenile is like adult, but with reduced white on face and brownish edges to the dark body feathers. Gives very harsh contact calls. Song is a musical phrase of 6-7 notes that ascends first and then descends. Found in a wide range of wooded habitats, from dense forest to forest edge and gardens, from lowlands up into the mountains.
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